Date: September 21, Thursday, 2023, 10:00 – 11:00 AM BJT
Zoom ID: 943 3576 3781; Passcode: 0921
Speaker: Xiaochen Zhang, Assistant Professor of Applied Economics, Duke Kunshan University

Abstract: The end-of-life period contributes a large portion of lifetime healthcare expenditure. This study investigates the cost drivers of such spending during the last year of life among the Chinese elderly. Special attention was paid to the comparison between groups with and without insurance coverage. This retrospective study analyzed data collected by the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey from 2005 to 2018. We built multivariate regression models to explore these cost drivers and utilized propensity score analysis to match the deceased respondents to accounting for the selection bias of having health insurance. The results highlighted the difference in medical costs due to using health insurance as the main payment source. However, such disparity was not observed in nursing care costs. We identified six other factors, such as age, education, income, living arrangements, site of death, and hukou (household registration) status, which can significantly affect healthcare spending, too. Our findings raise concerns about inequality in healthcare among populations with and without insurance. The accurate understanding of these patterns is useful to policymakers designing a better end-of-life healthcare system.

Bio: Xiaochen Zhang received PhD in 2018 from the Department of Agricultural, Environmental and Development Economics at The Ohio State University. He also obtained a Graduate Interdisciplinary Specialization in Demography while pursuing my PhD. Prior to that, Xiaochen Zhang received his undergraduate degree in Economics from Shandong University, China in 2010 and an MS in Population, Resource and Environmental Economics from Fudan University, China in 2013. Xiaochen Zhang was trained as an applied microeconomist. His primary research interests are regional & urban economics and various topics in demography (eg. migration, population aging). He’s also an affiliated researcher at the Environmental Research Center (ERC), Global Health Research Center (GHRC) and Center for the Study of Contemporary China (CSCC) at DKU. His publications have appeared at Review of Regional Studies, Asian Transport Studies and Sustainability.

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NACI—N Aging and Care Initiative

Nameless, Nest, and N. (population)

The NACI aspires to reshape the landscape of aging and care in China and strives to create a society that recognizes the inherent worth of every aging and dying individual, fostering an environment where care is a deeply cherished and respected value, providing a nurturing nest for all.